Night Blue
by C.F.Winchester. Finalage
Summary: A look into the mind of a gem in the rough polished too soon into brilliance. Focusing around "Penumbra" my form of Brendan from Pokemon Sapphire, this takes a look into the price paid for greatness.
1. Chapter I: Deep Sea

_I was bored. I don't normally do things like this spontaneously like this. Ehh? Okay. Suspension of disbelief if a must for this fan fiction, so have it ready. Okay? I normally dabble in Negima, so be be steeping in here is odd for me, so bear with me. If I get a few reviews, I might continue this, neh? Okay...basically, this story looks at Brendan from Pokemon Sapphire, only under a different name, after he is entered into the hall of fame. What's next for him? How does he feel, being on top? Is it really as great as he thought it would be? Find out..._

_I don't own Pokemon, or any of it's affiliates, ehh? Ready for this crazy author? I hope so, cause if you want me to continue...don't expect me not to oblige. Welcome, one and all, to "Night Blue."~Finalage._

**_+-NB-+_**

**_Chapter One : Deep Sea._**

**_+-NB-+_**

The rain poured from the heavens above, soaking the ground in a surge of water, brought on with such speed, people scattered like roaches before the light. What had before been a simple, cloud filled sky now became a dark foreboding overcast, daunting any sane individual, tempting the insane to dance outside in the waves.

Rivulets sprung up, racing down trees, dancing upon the roads, filtering through the sidewalks and flooding the sewers with their fare. Amidst it all, a boy walked, completely soaked to the bone, all while an umbrella sat, complacent and warm, inside his backpack. His hand came out to massage the forehead of a Pokemon walking along next to him, his fingers brushing away water off it's bright blue fur, like that effort would make any difference. It growled up at the sky in a low voice.

"Swaamp..."

It wasn't that Midnight particularly disliked the rain, he was a water Pokemon after all, he loved it when the sky opened up and sent him down those precious bullets of moisture. It was just that it had come so suddenly, and so viciously, that it's sheer icy cold temperature had sunk to his bones, and _that _was something he didn't like.

He was quiet however, when he saw the silver haired boy next to him smile, even if he wasn't looking at Midnight directly. The hand moved lower to scratch at his neck. How did he know, always know, when that area of him itched? The Swampert was taller than he, but he moved closer none the less, allowing his trainer a better reach. They had been together forever...literally...okay, not literally, but you get the point.

He had been a tiny Mudkip when he had met Penumbra, an awkwardly named, (The name was Latin for shadow.) lanky and a bit sickly boy who had a knack for knowing just what Midnight was thinking in a battle, and used that to his advantage. Penumbra had shown him, through their battles, how he thought more like a Pokemon than a human at times, thought more as if he were facing down a powerful Growvile rather than Midnight doing so, literally, at times, in the beginning he had made more commands with his body than his mouth.

They both had grown throughout their travels, one evolving into a powerful, well cared for and healthy Swampert, who not only had his place in the hall of fame, but whose picture hung in a museum for his participation, and victory, in a Pokemon competition, pitting him against experts in the field of Pokemon raising and grooming. Penumbra had lost his original shy and "door mat" personality, bristling into a quiet and firm leader, who saw and thought before he acted, but acted well, and rarely let anything get away if he didn't approve, even if he would not vocally complain.

Now, he walked, carrying with him, victory. Penumbra was a name that hung in the Pokemon hall of champions, and in the records of the battle towers, the boy had pitted himself against countless others, again and again, beating each one, until he had shattered records, leading both a tired troupe of Pokemon and a weary eyed trainer to receive a trophy.

Penumbra had felt like tossing it into the waters.

It there was one thing he hated to do, even now, after so long, it was risk the lively hood of his friends, his Pokemon. He had hated ascending to the top of the battle tower, knowing he would be pitting Throw, a Linoone that had received it's name for her habit of wrapping around Penumbra's neck during the cold nights, Nirva, a witty Ninetails who was very protective of her master, Shadow, a keen minded and eyed Swallow, and himself, Midnight, against Pokemon trainers that had lost all humanity, in a way.

Trainers that got this far rarely had anything on their mind besides winning. They used whatever means necessary, including an object that Penumbra had quite a lot of but always sold when he got to the nearest store, calling it "poison". Rare candies, and other things. Objects that, if Throw brought them to him, for they were shiny, he would pet her head, but once she was gone, would almost throw off a cliff, if one were around.

"Pokemon Steroids. This and other things. Stuff trainers use to make their Pokemon stronger without putting in the care and hours of work, without the bonding. Some of them even use Training Machines in ways to teach them moves that need their Pokemon to hate their trainer. Not me. I won't throw it away, no, but I'll sell it the next chance I get."

Yet, against the powered up and pumped Pokemon, Penumbra had reigned victorious, with such a display of endurance against them, the others began to question their methods of obtaining strength. After long trials, the Gyms, the thrills, the towers...Penumbra had been hailed a master for his region.

It was around this time that they had become a "moving bulls-eye.", in his words.

Penumbra had become an easy way for people to become a champion, or a regional master. Instead of going through all the work, they could just try and beat him, right? Penumbra had found enemies springing up everywhere he turned, and his Pokemon had hardly found time to simply rest, or have fun anymore.

It was when one of his old friends had approached him, tired as he was, offering a place to stay for the night and encouragement, a soft voiced understanding...the boy had grabbed on to her offer with both hands, she could be trusted after all, she was an old friend, they had trained from the beginning together, she had been his first unofficial rival...yet, it was not to be. She had led him on a wild goose chase, draining his strength until she finally challenged him, coldly, to a battle.

It was times like these that he wished he could just lose. Lose and end the nightmare. From the top, only down can one go. Yet, he would disappoint his Pokemon above all, and they would get hurt. In letting her win, they had to be knocked out, and he couldn't pretend. No. Even tired, he had won, but the win had meant nothing to him. He had lead her back to town, and when they had arrived at the Pokemon center, the rain pouring down, soaking them both, he had pushed her to the door, glad the drops from above masked the ones coming from his eyes.

It had all, in the end, led him here. To Kanto. He had taken a ship, going to the Outa Region, Omi and Zeralis were just dreams in his mind...he went to the Orange Islands, breezing past on Shadow's wings... and finally brushing through Johto. He was but a name on their plaques, just a memory on cameras. He was almost fourteen by now. What had he done with his life? Just win leagues? All of his education, besides the basics, came form his travels, he had literally no real formal knowledge.

_This is the last one. Then I go home. This time..._

He always thought that, but he never made it a promise. Why? Simply because he knew it wasn't true and that making it a promise would make him a liar to more than just his mind. It would make him a liar to himself and his friends. They knew, just as much as he did, that battling had become his way of life, rushing through one town to the next, sleeping under the trees, all to find the meaning of his life, that ever elusive question.

He knew he'd never find that answer, but he knew the ride to finding it was the best one a person could take in life, as it revealed many truths along the way. This time, he had a feeling. Kanto was huge, and he had a feeling...a feeling that this time, he just might find what his soul was restlessly searching for, not the answer to life, but the answer to his question.

_When?_

**+-E-+**

_A short introduction to what could be looked upon as the first chapter of a story, or a one-shot. It's all up to you people. Should I continue? Do you want me here? This is a short rag, built off of the fact I was bored and in need of inspiration. As I said, I normally hang around the Negima section. Read and Review, and tell me what you feel. Finalage, out._


	2. Chapter II: New Ground

_Well, I don't see any reviews, but I figure this is a very active section, maybe no one saw it, ehh? Or those who did didn't care to tell me anything, neh? I'll give it another shot. Meh? Okay. Once again bored, here I go. I gave you something short last time, I'll see if something longer get's your attention. _

_Suspension of disbelief is a must for this story. I do not, in any way, own Pokémon or any or its affiliates, thank you. ~Finalage._

**_+-NB-+_**

**_Chapter Two: New Ground_**

**_+-NB-+_**

"Hello, and welcome to the registration desk. How may I help you?"

They all said the same thing. No matter what league, no matter what region, that same, crisp and professional sentence, exclaimed with that same excitable, friendly tone, smooth like butter. Slippery like an eel.

Penumbra wondered if any of that happiness was really outward, or all practiced. It would be nice if it was outward, but could the world handle all of that sincerity? He smiled back a false one for her, hoping it looked real enough to pass. It probably did, for the woman widened hers.

**"I'm here to register for the Kanto League please."**

Just like her, he had his own practiced sentences, all he had to do was add the name of the league he wanted to register for, but the rest of the sentence stayed the same, always. Like to computers being put through their paces, chat bots, that's what they were, what he was.

She smiled before opened in a desk drawer, pulling out a crisp form. He smiled and took it, pulling out a pen, but she stilled him. Did he need help? No thank you, that's alright, I got it. The form requires some documentation, and it's best to go through it step by step. No need. He had it, he knew all the information needed, it was in his head.

He handed the form back to her about ten minutes later to her smile, not to her, but to her smile and ready hands. She looked it over, and for once, a break in routine, for her, but not for him. They were always surprised, when he filled out the form completely, without help. He handed her his Pokedex, surprising her again. He had one already then?

It was beaten up. Really badly, yet that was only the way it looked. The ports were completely clear of dust, and the system itself was sound. Relatively unscathed, besides a long slash through the soft pad, splitting the buttons. Blame a Zubat for that one. Since that, Penumbra rarely used it, for fear some other Pokémon he was trying to get information on would swipe at it.

Instead, he memorized many of the abilities and information on different Pokémon, making his head the store for useful information instead, but we get off track. The receptionist handed his device back to him without comment, along with five Poke'balls. They always gave five. They expected you to hand over your one main Pokémon for a checkup too, and, indeed, she held out her hand for the Poke'ball.

Midnight hated Poke'balls, so Penumbra never put him in one, so, following logic, when she held out her hand for a small object, he smiled, and indicated her to look to her side. Midnight had crawled there, he liked to hear them squeal when they finally realized, just for kicks...this one seemed to have a pair of lungs on her though... What a scream!

He wasn't _that _scary looking. Of course, this was coming from his trainer, who know his Swampert as nothing but a handsome specimen of his species. To others who had never seen one before, he was a golden eyed, huge and hulking monstrosity...a sad thing indeed...

A bit later, Penumbra sat in a mess hall, currently populated by a multitude of trainers and their Pokémon, all different sizes, shapes and preferred colors apparent. Penumbra found that he couldn't stop staring at a Chansey, dancing about in its ever apparent joy. Its pink themed trainer was too painful to look at however, her clothes stabbed at his eyes.

Penumbra had never been one for bright colors, blame his genes. Practically albino, he found it difficult to bear the sun when it was in one of its high moods, but he had learned, after long months of travel, to at least _tolerate_ it. (That didn't mean, of course, that he didn't look for the nearest shade to stick himself under as soon as conveniently possible...)

Sighing, he picked at his plate, which held something he assumed was a burger with a side of salad that had seen better days. At least it didn't taste like sawdust, that last league's starting Pokémon Center had food fit for...well, not even a Growlithe would eat _that_...

He looked up from his meal when a blur of yellow flashed by his vision, and he saw the edge of a tray slide into his vision. Looking up, he encountered a girl who, looking huffed, sat down at his table, blonde hair swishing momentarily before settling back down above her eyes...Wait, how did he even know she was a girl? Well, she gave off the impression of one.

There was something about the opposite gender that made him tense, even when they weren't even speaking, so Penumbra had guessed, correctly, her gender due to the sudden knot he felt...He heard a grumble as another trainer, a boy, came up and slammed his tray down.

"You don't have to get so upset so easily!"  
"Would you please leave? I left so that I could eat without barfing at the site of your face."

Oh my. He was interrupting something, wasn't he? Or rather, these two were interrupting his solitude. He made a move to get up, but another girl plopped next to him, joining the other two in the conversation, and trapping him between the boy and herself.

_"Well, you did tell him you wanted to ride on the thing, didn't you, Yellow? You're own fault if you can't stomach a carnival ride. I for one, think it was quite fun, considering Red was paying!"_

At this point, the boy grumbled something, which Penumbra barely heard as a complaint about his wallet crying all the way. He assumed that the boy was Red, and indeed, wearing red. The girl addressed as Yellow was even wearing the color too, which prompted Penumbra to inwardly cringe.

"I...didn't expect it to go so fast..."  
_"Idiot, it's a carnival ride."_

What was it with people naming their kids after colors? To top it off, what was it with the kids, himself included, who then wore those colors as their dictated "suit up"? It was like a curse, and he hoped severely the girl next to him wasn't named Blue, for she was sporting a blue sleeveless. He _really _hoped she wasn't named that.

"Easy for you to say, Leaf Green."

_"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that! It's Green!"  
_"Green sounds so icky and guy-like though, how about just Leaf?"  
"Guys, how many times have you had this conversation? ...Gah!"

The boy, so named as Red, shrunk from both of their piercing gazes. Demon eyes. Penumbra tactfully rose his cup to his lips to take a swig of the contents inside, feeling the blaze even indirectly slash by him. Incineration incarnate, Red fell silent.

"G-get's me every time...oh shoot, we must be so rude. Hey...uhh...who are you? We kinda just barged into your table."

Had he really just noticed, or was he looking for a way to divert the gaze cast in his way? Whichever his motive, it worked, as the two girls realized that, indeed, they had intruded upon what had once been a one man table, forming a triangle around it's single occupant without a care in the world.

"Ohh, sorry! I was just trying to get away from Red here, and I brought the whole party over here. Your friends will have a hard time sitting here too if they come...crap, the other table is full now, we can't move..."

**"...Quite alright. I'm alone anyway. I'll be out of your way in a second..."**

Getting up smoothly, Penumbra sighed as he set his cup on the tray, and was about to step out when he felt the boy next to him grab his arm. His eyes were sparkling as he caught sight of the row of Poke'balls around his waist. Oh boy.

"Hey, if you're alone, stay around for a while! What's your name? Want to bat-mph!"

Casting his head to look at the other two girls, he resigned himself to his fate. He was now the object of attention. Sitting back down smoothly, he pushed his tray away from himself so he could prop his elbows up on the table before answering. Green let Red out of the cruel choke hold she had placed on him, slipping her hand from his mouth smoothly. They had just had a long day, and he _still _wanted to battle, idiot.

**"My name is a weird one, but it's...kind of a color, like all of yours, unless your names aren't really Red, Yellow and Green like you claimed. It's Penumbra...Shadow, Dark, Shade."**

He claimed the last words to clear up the obvious confused faces in front of him, and nervous smiled replaced their confusion. He sighed as he reaching into his coat to pull out a map of the Kanto region. Red stopped him again however, pointing to his coat.

"That's a real nice coat you got there. Where did you get it uhh...is it okay if I just call you Shade, it's a lot easier..."

Ahh, an innocent question, where he had got his coat, but it plunged an ice cold dagger in his heart. He had gotten his coat...from his mother. It was the last birthday gift she had given him before he left on his journey, the last one he had to remind him of her...but he didn't want to think about that, not now. He gave his own nervous smile.

**"Ahh...I got it from my...my mom. I have no idea where she got it from though."  
**"Ahh, do you live far? I might like to go ask her, I've got a few friends that might like something like that as a gift, and I'm kinda behind in giving them a few..."  
**"She's dead."  
**"Oh...oh shoot... I'm sorry."

They always said that. They were sorry. Sorry for what? They didn't do anything, it wasn't their fault he died, what was there to be sorry for, you had no way of knowing anyway. The table seemed to become slightly uncomfortable, and Penumbra's keen eyes picked up on the fact that "Leaf" slipped away a few centimeters from him.

That was another thing they did. Move away, as if a dead parent were a disease you could catch by being too close. Yellow attempted to pick up on the fallen thread of conversation, a commendable effort, even as her eyes showed a bit of pity, another thing people tended to do.

"Uhh...so...Shade is okay, or no? Where do you live? I don't think I've seen you in Pallet or the Viridian Forest..."  
**"I'm from Littleroot...it's...it's far away."**

At that moment, a distraction came in the form of a commotion from the hallways, in which some yelling and a few crashes could be heard. His current bench mates whipped around, but Penumbra just shook his head, feeling for his Poke'balls and confirming that only four full ones were there.

Throw was causing a ruckus again. She liked to play...sometimes too much. Oh well. How much Pokémon Dollars did he have again? He really needed to make a withdrawal one of these days. He had plenty, but had a habit of carrying around a small amount of credit, in case his card got stolen.

At this moment, the double doors opened, and, just as he predicted, a wild eyed Linoone, trailing some toilet paper and leading two people on a merry chase under a table, burst in. Shaking his head, he put his fingers in between his teeth and let out a piercing whistle that made "Green/Leaf" jump.

The three turned to him as a blur of beige and brown streaked by, jumping up and lightly landed on his shoulder, curling around his neck, just as her namesake, a throw, hugged it's wearer's neck. He rolled his eyes before pulling the toilet paper from one of her paws, watching the two men come up.

**"Okay. How much damage did she do?"**

"Damage...? She didn't do any damage...ahh! That's yours? Oops... Looks like we tried to catch a trainer's Pokémon again, Aris..."

A girl, pushing raven hair from her eyes, pouted, tugging on her long green shirt and eyeing the Linoone with envy. Rightfully so, she didn't seem too happy to find another Pokémon ripped from her clutches, and a nice looking one too!

"Darnit! I was so sure this time! My Pokedex doesn't have the information on this one! I was sure!"

Smiling slightly, Penumbra tried to catch Throws eyes, and when he did, his look plainly indicated that she should get off from his neck. She used to be able to do this all the time to him as a Zigzagoon, but now her trainer didn't like her doing it anymore.

Obviously it was because she was a bit big for it now, and had nearly doubled in weight, but try telling that to _her_, and you'd get nowhere. She was very protective of him, and loved to use him as a personal rest stop...even if, as a light Linoone, she still topped near the sixty pound mark, and would very easily kill his shoulders on a good day.

However, Penumbra was shaken out of his revere when one of the trainer's pointed a finger at him viciously, actually, they both did, at the same time, stabbing the silver haired boy with fingers ready to dictate fate. They wanted to battle...and yet, once they both realized they had challenged him at once, they began to argue again in earnest.

Pulling out another Poke'ball, he shook his head before lightly tossing it up, making the two jump back from the red light that escaped from it, forming into the shape of a fox like creature. Nirva, finding herself out of a Poke'ball after a "decent" rest, turned her pin red eyes upon the two in front of her, stretching out her tails.

**"You know the rules. You can't back out of a challenge once you issue it. So why don't the two of you tag team against me? I have more than one Pokémon you know...and Nirva needs a stretch every now and again..."**

Eyeing the fox, the two found their mouths had been glued shut. Those eyes were hypnotizing, and Aris, the only one whose name Penumbra knew, looked petrified. He inwardly sighed. Greenhorns, he could practically _smell_ it, and that wasn't good for them.

**"Throw, in front, Nirva, stay back, and **_**watch the fire**_**, I don't want to have to pay for any remodeling...okay?"**

A small blaze of flames came from her mouth as answer to that one. Okay then, she'd control the flames...she didn't like how that ranger had yelled at her for burning his berries anyway, grumpy old man...Aris let out a Squirtle, her companion choosing a Bulbasaur.

A bad set up for them. He only had to watch that Squirtle. The three who had been talking to him before turned around in interest, and Red in particular locked eyes on Nirva, who seemed to enjoy the attention from around, for others had stopped to see the altercation take place...

"Squirtle, use water gun!"  
"Bulbasaur, vine whip!"

**"Nirva, dodge the water and use Extrasensory on Squirtle! Throw, put yourself in the path of those vines, use Cut! make him retreat them!"**

Agile and grace, Nirva shifted away from the water, her entire body forming a pinkish aura about her, as her eyes shone bright, piercing into Squirtle's own. As Linoone quickly leapt up to swipe at Bulbasaur's vine, making him retreat or get slashed, Squirtle was picked up and blasted back into her trainer, both sent tumbling away.

"Gah, Squirtle!"  
"Bulbasaur, use tackle, try to get past it's claws!"

**"Strength. Nirva, again, but not so hard this time please... I don't want her trainer sent flying too..."**

Linoone needed no extra encouragement, darting forth to bend down low, picking the slower and stubby grass Pokémon up and throwing it down against the floor, hard, conking it on the head and giving it a thumping headache, making it dizzy.

Nirva, meanwhile, lifted the helpless Squirtle up again before tossing it disdainfully to a corner of the room, making it spin like a top on its shell before coming out, eyes practically spinning. Throw jumped up top of the upturned Bulbasaur's belly, making it protest before fainting, it's partner put up no more protest, it was trying to stay awake.

The trainer of the Bulbasaur, disgusted, called back his Pokémon, prompting Throw to jump off with a dejected call, she wanted to play some more. She didn't mean to make it _faint_ with that last jump. She had finished fighting it after all...oh well. His friend went to her Squirtle to pick her up.

"That was mean, I should teach you something about-!"  
"Aris, don't. We challenged him, and he creamed us, in less than a minute... Not only that, but he didn't even really use the fox thingie, it can spit fire, I saw. He went easy...but wow...those are strong. Even the little weasel thingie..."

Nirva growled at being called a "fox thingie" letting out a large torrent of fire that extended a good distance, not far enough to burn anything, but enough to make the boy yelp and almost lose his Poke'ball to the air.

**"Nirva is a Ninetails, a fox fire Pokémon, and she likes to be addressed as that. She can hear and understand you, so try not to talk as if she isn't in the room, believe me, I know you'll life will be easier if you obey that for a fact. As for the 'weasel thingie", that's Throw, my Linoone, they call her a "Rushing Pokémon."...If you promise not to chase her again, you can get a closer look at her, just don't try and pick her up, she's heavier than she looks...**

**You did good by the way, but you aren't used to being a team, and you're new, but once you get to know each other's styles a bit more, you'll do better...just don't try besting a Linoone in a speed test with your Bulbasaur, it won't work..." **

**+-1-+**

**"Oh, hello again."**

'Yo, uhh Shade, I've been meaning to ask you, but umm..where did you get those Pokémon, can you direct me to a place...gah, what is that thing!"

_"Red, have some __**manners**__ for once! He never gave us permission to call him that!"_  
"You two...sir, if you could tell him were you find just about every Pokémon you have, he'll be satisfied. He's annoying like that."

Penumbra, or should I say Shade, smiled slightly, shaking his head. He slid down from Midnight, whom had insisted upon forking him up on top of his body to let him ride, as he was occasionally prone to doing. Penumbra's hand came out to touch one of Midnight's limbs.

**"This is the very first Pokémon I ever had, Midnight. He's a Swampert, and Shade is fine I suppose..."**

This meant that, whether he wanted one or not, Penumbra had a horse to ride around on, so to speak. Midnight never seemed to mind, he was strong, incredible so, Penumbra's weight was nothing next to those boulders he liked to drag around...

"That's a Pokémon? Your first? I never saw that as one of the choices! I would have killed for that one!"  
_"Idiot, it's probably an evolution. The Pokedex says that... "Ninetails" of his is an evolution of something called a Vulpix...who says this can't be one too?"  
_

Penumbra looked up at Midnight, who was growling lowly in the direction of "Green". He didn't like her for some unknown reason, but his growl was only low enough for his trainer to hear anyway...Penumbra nodded his head once as an affirmative. Yes, Midnight was an evolved form of a Marshtomp, which in turn was an evolved form of a Mudkip. Throw, his Linoone, was an evolution of a Zigzagoon.

"Wait, so it's a **second** evolution Pokemon? Wow, how strong is he?"

"So, you travel alone to focus on training?"

Instant celebrity. Just mention that fact that Most if not all of your Pokémon are evolved forms of their original forms, and you have people from all around asking you questions. How'd you get them to evolve was their main concern, how long did it take, things like that. However, the be-hated girl asked him a question that was a bit different than the norm, so he answered it first.

**"...Kind of. I started alone, so I stayed that way, no one was really interested in traveling with me, any trainer I met wanted to be a master, any partner would have just "slowed them down" to put it mildly. Not only that, but I started when I was eleven, the youngest...no one wanted to look after a kid when they've got their eyes on the prize. As for him being strong, he's pretty strong, strong enough to carry me around for days if he wanted... "**

He had turned his head to the side while saying that last bit to her query, looking at her through the corner of his eye while he focused on the falling sun. He had turned back though, when he answered Red. (Conveniently forgetting to mention that Midnight could easily lift and drag a boulder that weighed a literal ton.) Soon it would be setting, that sun...he had to get to the first town before it got too late, or it would be camping without a tent again. Indicating Midnight to follow with a pat on the back, he shouldered his bag and made to say good bye, but he was surprised when the girl called Yellow stopped him.

"Shade! Ahh... stupid, sorry, sir...but do you like traveling alone? I mean, you looked lonely at that table this afternoon..."

Lonely? Sure, he supposed so, but he had always valued his solitude...and after all he had seen, his only purpose seemed to be speeding ahead, promising himself, falsely, that each league would be the last. You can't live that kind of rushed life with a party, at least not for any real amount of time, unless they all were well trained. He guessed that if he had a party to cart around from place to place, he would slow down, and maybe even, finally, break the habit and find peace...but, he had yet to actually get around to doing that.

**"I suppose being alone can be lonely sometimes, yes, but I've gotten used to it."  
**"You could...travel with-"  
_"Us! You could travel with us! You want to? Red can be annoying, but I'm pretty sure you could shut him up!"_

Oh boy. They wanted him to travel with them? Did they have any idea what that might mean? You didn't make a choice like this every day after all. Just up and traveling with someone, sleeping near each other, sharing food, resources...it wasn't the kind of decision you made over tea and crumpets. Yet, at the same time, he found the offer highly appealing...then he remembered something.

**"Ahh, Red, right? You wanted to challenge me to a Pokémon battle earlier right?" **

Oh my, where did this come from all of a sudden? No, no, he did not want to battle him, not quite so eagerly anymore, not after seeing that show in the Pokémon center. That coupled with the fact that he also had this huge blue thing to call on, dampened his fighting spirit further, but the other smiled, shaking his head.

**"No, no, you don't understand. I am proposing a battle. The three of you against Throw. Use your Pokémon, no more than one each, against her, and try to hit her, just once. If you can do it in a minute's time, I'll consider it. What do you say? Are you up to the challenge?" **

Sure, they were up to the challenge! Red smiled as Penumbra tossed up a Poke'ball, bringing out Throw, who shook herself all over, having received a shower not too long ago, and was still not completely dry. Red called out a Pikachu, Yellow joining him with her own "Chuchu." Leaving Green to call out a Ditto. Ditto. Now _that_ was a rare thing. What did he read about it again?

"Chuchu, Tackle her!"  
"Give it a Thundershock Pikachu!"  
_"Ditto, copy it and rush it!"_

**"Keep up the speed, try to make as few turns as posible, Throw...run! Don't hit back, play tag!**

"Noone!"

Play tag, it was his code for avoid the enemy, and Throw danced away from Chuchu, jumping on top of a small boulder before leaping off, Red's Pikachu lighting it up and demolishing it. She rolled in a near ball pass the ditto, who, after seeing it pass by a few more times, running from Chuchu, morphed into a semi-suitable copy of her and rushed Throw, but it wasn't quite fast enough. Throw jumped over her and twisted to land on her feet before taking off in a run.

**"Fifteen seconds have passed, and you haven't come close yet!"**

Red made his Pikachu run up, joining the chase, so that Throw had three Pokémon after her tail. She jumped up, launching off a tree to go up and over them, landing behind them and taking off in the opposite direction. Linoone had a hard time turning, so Penumbra had taught Throw to use the air as her ally, jumping off trees to change direction… or to change direction in the air.

**"Five seconds left..."**

The patter of feet, the Ditto was in front of her, and leapt up when Throw braced her feet, but Throw was smarter than that, she had played a farce, and shot under her foe. Red's Pikachu drove her towards a tree from the side, but that was okay...She leapt up to brace against the tree, Leaping off but a split second later. Chuchu leapt up at the same time, having been following her, but being a bit behind. Throw couldn't change direction in the air, so she was heading straight for...Chuchu! Chuchu's cheeks were sparking, it was a set up! Penumbra smiled at his Pokémon's apparent surprise.

**"Three seconds..."**

"Go!"

The shock caught her body before Chuchu made contact, running along her fur and making her crackle alive. It hurt! A lot! A LOT! Ow, ow ow! Maybe if she hadn't been so wet before, but no! She had been caught, she failed at tag, but she always won at tag, always!

A bit later, Penumbra shook his head as the sun finally sunk below the horizon. He had been spending the time talking to the three people in front of him, getting names down and trying to scope what kind of group they were. Energetic, generally kind, that elusive group of "general do-gooders" who walk around minding their own business until trouble comes along, and if they can't solve it, they get stuck in it…tha's what he got from them.

**"Now that is what I call teamwork. Brilliant play. Throw, I've got medicine in my bag, it's near Midnight, it's just a shock, so you can take the yellow one...remember yellow? Now, as for thinking about it, I don't see a problem with traveling with you if you guys can work together like that. Just be warned...I like to travel fast, and if you try to keep pace, it might be uncomfortable...slow me down; otherwise I'll keep going until I fall asleep on my feet, really. Still, I have some business to take care of; maybe we could meet up in the next town?"**

The next town? What if he ran away? Yet, Penumbra fished around and pulled out everything from his jacket pockets, and handed the garment to Yellow. He had seen her face, and the faces of the others, so he gave her his jacket.

"**There, that's the promise I'll be waiting for you there. I can't leave my jacket, it was a gift from mom…besides, it'll probably be really miserable for me without my jacket if I try to blow you all off. Midnight, I'll ride you if you want me too so much, just follow the path to the next town then…"**

Jumping up on top of his Pokémon, he adjusted his bag before calling to Throw, who, after nosing around the medicines, had been sulking about losing tag on the ground. He recalled her Poke'ball and patted the space between his legs for the Pokémon to crawl up on. He waved once before, Midnight jumped up and ran off, a silent padding beast in the night. Darn, it looked fun to ride one of those…well no, not really, but it was cool!

Yellow looked down at the coat. He had given her his coat, trusting her with the last gift his mother had given him. That was…some kind of trust. What is she lost it, or it got messed up or…it was scary to think about…

**+-E-+**

_So, still short, longer than last time though. So, do you think I should continue it? I have plenty of ideas and story for this, but I don't want to waste people's time. If I'm not good enough to be bothered with, tell me! Or tell me if you want more of this, I am busy you know, and this is a test…Finalage out!_


	3. Chapter III: Old Wounds

**_O-X_**

_I am running six stories at once, how did I let this happen? Well, nothing to do for it now, just forge ahead, ehh? What can you do? Blast through the wall! Just make sure it isn't the forth wall, unless you mean to do so...now, last chapter was a disgrace. I need to do better than that! Quality counts Finalage! I do not own Pokémon in any way. ~Finalage._

**_+-NB-+_**

**_Chapter Three: Old Wounds_**

**_+-NB-+_**

Penumbra stood, dumbfounded, at the counter of the bank. Not many used banks in these days and ages, not many trainers at least. He himself hadn't been in one for years. He made deposits to his account via Pokémon Centers, but to withdraw large sums, he had to be here.

Of course, here, there was security, and while he knew his name and password, obviously, he found that the additional security, namely, the question he had chosen as he secret one, to bring back memories.

"What is your mother's maiden name...?"

His eyes closed to the human teller in front of him, he let the sights plague him once more...

_The rain fell from the sky, an incredible torrent, it fell in literal sheets of moisture instead of droplets, and one could hardly see past the crook of their arm for the water. Like swimming through a sea that housed the occasional air pocket, Penumbra was on land and underwater all at once. Next to him, he wasn't sure if Midnight was walking along with him, or swimming. Either could have worked, he literally felt that._

_Tired. That's what he felt. Bone tired. His body ached all over, and his mind felt dull, sluggish. He had been traveling for days on end, and now he was nearing home, only to find himself in the midst of the worst rainstorm in perhaps a decade or more._

_Yet, quite suddenly, it stopped, or more accurately, it stopped falling on him. Around him, the rain still beat an incredible tempo against the ground, yet, for once, the sound was drowned out as his breathing and his heart took over, allowing him to heat his own body tick again._

_Soaking wet, he looked up to see a bright red electrical field encased in a photon field. A marvel of modern technology, the umbrella had saved him. He looked at the black, white fingered glove that held its handle tight, and allowed his eyes to fall upon its owner._

_**"May!"**_

_So addressed, she shook her head, giving him a small smile. Her umbrella was a large one, so he fit under it easily, and it managed to cover at least Midnight's head. So, he must be near home then, if she was here, unless she was leaving? _

_"Tsk, tsk. You'll get a cold you know. Your mother sent me to come get you. Come on, they'll be waiting for you. Ugh, if she sees you like this, she'll kill you!"_

_He would take the chance, and told her so, for all he was concerned with at the moment was getting home. In his hurry, he had neglected the chance of bad weather and hold ups, and now he was out of food. All this travel had made him and his Pokémon tired, constantly running from challengers from all over._

_Tired, hungry and downtrodden, he was glad to find a friend in all of this mess, fortune finally smiled down on him, hmm? Oh if only he knew at this time, how much the peals of laughter echoed in the heavens for his sake._

_They set off together, May running ahead, and leaving him to catch up, trying to keep in sight that brilliant umbrella. Something told him he was headed the wrong way, away from town, somewhere remote, but he neglected it. May had just come from home, why should he trust some nag that told him he was going the wrong way, lost as he was?_

_It seemed like hours, running, running, running, in circles almost. At some time, the umbrella disappeared, and Penumbra wandered around, trying to find it again. It seemed that she disappeared every once and awhile, he attributed it to the rain._

_Finally, she stopped, and waited for him on top of a boulder, rain sheeting from the rock down to the ground, splashing into his eyes. He looked up, the rock was too slippery for him to climb the way he was. He saw that she had used a pathway, one that he had passed a while back..._

_He looked at her, confused, as she gave him a small smile; one that he recognized had a want behind it, a lust. Her eyes, a usual calm brown, now were alight with a glow he knew all too well. Taking a step back, he grits his teeth, as the laughter, ohh so rich and full, reached his ears from above. Fortune was having their cake, and eating it too, at his expense._

_"Penumbra Allucet. I, May Valentine, challenge you to a Pokémon battle..."_

_No...no... This was a joke…it had to be… Here he was, soaking wet, his legs about to cave from under him, his Pokémon on their last leg, in the pouring rain...and here she was, warm and dry, rested, barely having broken a sweat...he realized he probably hadn't lost her, but she had ducked somewhere to rest, taking her umbrella off...barely above a whisper, he spoke, his voice hardly passed the rain._

_**"So that's how it is..."**__  
__"...you look surprised! It is one of the best ways to get the title you know."  
__**"I had thought, had hoped...that you would be more honorable than that."**_

_Honor? This was a fair battle, where was the cheating in this? She didn't say or allow her face to show any of her thoughts however, for she knew it was not a fair fight, yet...this was her goal, this was what she had trained and fought for, ever so long. If she could get it...it would be worth the little white lie...right?_

_Midnight was breathing heavily, looking to his trainer, unsure of what to do. Penumbra closed his eyes. He watched as she called forth a Sceptile. So that was what it had become, that Treecko she had picked...it was true that Midnight had a disadvantage, but he heard the animal growl. These two had a rivalry. He sent Midnight forwards..._

_It was true that a Ninetails could swim a rarity for fire Pokémon, but he didn't want to send out Nirva to swim in this mess here. She would not be very happy, to put it mildly. May grinned. A one trick kid, that's what she thought him, a stupid, easy picking. _

_His legs were shivering but he still had an iron resolve. No backing down, no quitting, no matter how much he just wanted to simply give her the title...a title that had cost him so much trouble...and yet gave him so much more._

_"Leaf Storm Sceptile!"_

_Penumbra had never heard of that one before, but it did not sound good, not as he ordered Midnight with his eyes to move, and move fast. A blur of leaves, a mass of foliage, massed in the opponent before being sent forth, defying the rain and slanting every which way, it was hard to tell the difference between rain and attack..._

_**"Gain cover and use Earthquake, Midnight!"**_

_He didn't know where the attack was, and he even felt a few of the razor sharp leaves slice through his own skin, drawing blood, as he stepped forth. Yet, he heard a roar as the ground shook, violently, knocking a core from the mass of leaves, quieting the storm, still, it recovered quickly, lashing out, a beast once more._

_"Leaf Blade!"_

_**"Duck under it, give it a face full of an Ice Beam!"**_

_"Get away from it, Giga Drain!"_

_**"Shoot, sidestep and forwards, avoid it that way!"**_

_"It's near you now...use Leaf Storm!"_

_**"Use the water to your advantage Midnight...Surf!"**_

_The exchange was fiery. A leaf blade had almost grazed Midnight's face as he ducked low, mouth pooled with ice, and yet, when he shot it off, the other danced agilely away, energy condensing in its hands. Midnight used quick footwork, sidestepping from the forward blast and rushing forth, but the other condensed themselves again, leaves coming around them, swirling...still, Midnight swerved away, water condensing this time, quickly, the torrent around helping him, serving him...the water hit the other head on._

_**"Ice Beam, freeze him solid!"**_

_Penumbra wasn't done. No, not by a long shot. It was a simple combo, but a devastating one all in one. Water, Ice and then the earth element. Midnight breathed ice into his wave, turning it into a moving cryogenic's lab, freezing solid the Sceptile as Midnight jumped up in the air, fist aglow._

_**"Earthquake Midnight."**_

_He struck down upon the ice, hard, shattering it whole and shaking the ground incredibly. Midnight none the less leapt forth, stilling the quake to tackle the grass Pokémon to the ground, only he overshot, his own legs were weak. He still hit the other, but instead of going into the ground, the Sceptile flew into a tree._

_It slid down, slowly. May looked at the blue Pokémon right in front of her, it's eyes burning. Penumbra too, held eyes of fire. In fact, it looked as if his had set the others ablaze. He was the torch, Midnight the bonfire. A heavy out, a light in. Penumbra was shaking._

_**"You wanted this, not me. Next one, Challenger Valentine."**_

_His words stung. For some reason, they stung hard. Here he was, a long time friend, and now, in a simple Pokémon battle, he had become a cold, could care less figure...but then, so had she. She had led him here, wildly, with the promise of his mother's home to challenge him now, perhaps an hour or two later, to a Pokémon battle. _

_Weakening him, drawing him out, a good and well torture before conquer. She had been thoughtless to him...but she wanted that title so bad! Yet, even exhausted, he had defeated her one hope, and now she had no chance..._

_Indeed, each of her Pokémon fell to his, one by precious one. Unstoppable, unconquerable. He was the tower. Midnight was a sole driving force in her defeat, his first Pokémon proving to be his strongest, it was almost laughable, the way he handled the others. A few swipes of tired claws, a blast of ice to the face...her Pokémon standing no chance...and yet, it was he, not she, that had tears on their face. _

_She slipped when Midnight sent the last one into her, Wailmer, bowling her over to fall, and yet, she heard a shout, and felt no ground. She had fallen right where he had been standing, he had caught her...embarrassing, she was getting wet now too...the tormentor shown compassion by the tormented. He set her down, and wiped the rain from his eyes. It had calmed, in the time the battle had been raged, it had calmed, and now the rain was simple, but no less relentless._

_He pointed her, pushing her towards the nearest town, the nearest Pokémon Center, practically shoved her ot the door. His eyes were red by now, and she honestly couldn't tell if it was from the rain or his tears, but his voice was cold, harsh and indifferent. He measured her first however, almost as if he had never seen her before, and was assessing her._

_**"Challenger, you have lost. Please heal your Pokémon. I had thought you looked like someone I knew...but you are obviously not that person anymore...if you ever were. I'm sorry I went so hard on you, but rules are rules. Please excuse me now, I have other matters to attend too..."**_

"Sir...your secret question asks for your Mother's maiden name..."

Penumbra opened his eyes. It had been so long since he had made this account, and so long since he had withdrawn from it...in fact, this would be the first time. He almost always seemed to deposit... trust had become something fickle...like the death of his mother, or the night that it had happened, the night he realized just how far his "friendships" could be "thrown"...none to far at all. He had finally made it home that night...only to see the most horrid sight he ever would see...

"Sir...?"

_**"Sentinel. My mother's maiden name was... Sentinel. Dorothy Anette Sentinel... My full name is Penumbra Sullent Allucet, just about fourteen years of age and holding the occupation of traveling Pokémon trainer, junior researcher. Id number zero zero three eight fifty four eighty one seventy. Do you need anything else?"**_  
"Uhhh...nope, nothing else...how much would you like too-holy cow!"

She had chirped at him politely when he had asked her if she needed anything else, but he assumed the "Holy Cow" came from the sheer amount sitting in his bank account. Well, prize money had to go somewhere, didn't it, and Penumbra didn't like walking around with a bunch of cash to blow out on his card after all, so there you go, banks had interest, right? Okay then. He handed her his trainer's card, which doubled as his key to accounts and as a refillable debit.

"About fifty thousand should cover it, but if you can manage, two hundred thousand would serve me better..."  
"...Ohh I think I can do more than manage it..."

He felt his mind wander again, but he managed to squash it's travels before it went to far. He did not need to think about that now...receiving his card after a simple quick swipe, he smiled, thanking the woman and leaving...it was rare for him to see someone actually running the booths though...

**+-1-+**

"He _likes_ you!"  
"S-shut up! He just gave me his coat, that's all..."  
"Ohh, so what's that blush? Hehe! You're too cute Yellow. She's got her first admirer! You saw how he just...gave it to you? He likes yah."  
"I s-said shut up!"

Red covered his ears. He had heard this conversation enough to know how it went by now. Mysterious boy hands Yellow his coat as a promise he wouldn't stand them up. Mysterious boy doing it so quickly and without complain or thought seems suspicious. Checking coat for foreign objects or bombs turns up negative results. Coat carries no scent of poison or drugs on it, instead, it had a kind of laundry soapish, lemon scent. Queue questions to him about why he, Red, could not keep his clothes smelling so nice.

All hostile options rules out, logic states the boy must be at ease, or knows what to do to put others at ease in a promise. Or perhaps the coat is a fake, or not really from his mother. Suspicions cannot be resolved, dead end, change topic. Mysterious boy somehow ends up having a crush on Yellow. All "signs" point to this ludicrous conclusion, thus, according to Green, it is true. Yellow blushes, gets teased, tells Green to shut up until she yells, pulling the other's hair.

A fight breaks out, and Red would get dragged in by one of the following ways. One, he tries to stop the fight. Two, he sees something he should not and gets attacked by the others, Three, his Pikachu tries to stop the fight. Four, his Pikachu bugs him until he stops the fight. Five...oh forget it, the cycle repeats. This is what he had to deal with every day, and, regardless of what would happen, Red admitted that it would be nice to have another male around to deflect the negative attention, or have a decent talk with...

Oh boy, he just saw something he shouldn't have, and Green noticed. Type option two and press enter, option two confirmed...With a shriek of his name, Red feels a yank on his collar, and all too familiar nails dig into his flesh. Oh yes, it would be nice to have another here to help bail him out, wouldn't it...

"I didn't see anything, I swear...Gyaaah!"

What a din. An unsightly, unsavory din of three friends romping around in an energetic display of youth and vigor. If not for the forest, the racket would have covered an unsightly amount of distance to awaken many unwelcome ears, but shrubbery muffled their fight into a more private show between friends. It didn't last too long, but Red had a new, tender bump on his head to show for the confrontation. Ahh well.

A bit later, they settled and found camp, upon which, away from Green and Red, Yellow stared at the coat she had been given. It was only upon close inspection did one see that it had character. It was old for one, older than one might expect at least. Extremely well cared for, she only saw one spot that looked like it was worn, and there were several others that had been stitched from the insides, so the thread did not show on the out. The pockets smelled strongly of herbs, and the zipper, silver to her sight, had once been black, but quite a bit of its paint had come off, she assumed he scraped out the rest, what he could.

It was interesting, for the fabric seemed to tough on the outside, but the insides were soft, like dun feathers. It seemed that, no matter how much washing it had been through, there remained a large residue of salt built up inside it, giving it that tough nature...almost as if he had worn it to sea time after time. Immense distance, that's what she got from it. There was no doubt that this thing meant a lot to him...and he had just simply given it to her, a promise that he'd be waiting for them...

Why had he so simply handed the garment to her? What would he do if she lost it? Damaged it? If it really was a lone keepsake from his deceased mother...she really would have messed up bad, maybe it was a test...but who would put up something so valuable up for just a simple test? It had to be more...but what? Her mind drifted back to Green, who claimed, in a sing song voice, that the boy liked her.

Blushing lightly again, and having no real idea why, she carefully folded the garment and put it in her pack. She hardly knew the boy. Why was she so flustered? Had he wooed her with simple Pokémon strength? Was she a Female Red? No, maybe it was simply the idea of having a person like you like that, after so many considered her a boy if they didn't look too hard.

Of course, she could just be blushing at the sheer nonsense of the whole situation. That too, could be an option...thing was, could one call it an absurd thing, or was it a base in reality? Oooh boy, not good, stop thinking about this. The kid was a serious trainer, and while she too considered herself serious, he was far ahead of her.

Called for dinner, she stuffed her pack back where it belonged and exited the tent, zipping it's flap behind her to come to bear, staring at the fire, where Red lounged on a rock and Green tried disserting one pack of pepper spice from another. Oh well. Grabbing one, she informed the girl they both were the same thing, and hunted for something to add to the mixture called a soup in front of them, hanging over the pot.

Did she _always_ have to do the cooking around here? Idlely, she wondered if the silver headed boy could cook. Probably had to, traveling around all the time...at the very least, he would be able to tell one pack of spice form another! This thought made her glare a little at Green, who backed off from her leaning in to look at the pot.

They were not that far from the next town after all. There wasn't a gym there, however. A kind of rest stop place, where there was simply a Pokémon center and a general store. That was where all of this coat harassment would be put to a rest...hopefully.

**+-E-+**

Okay, maybe. I think this is a good length anywho. I'm running too much to go all out on the chapter size, but this is manageable and palatable to a point. Still haven't heard from anyone, soo...what ya'll think, ehh?


	4. Chapter IV: Starting Lines

**_+O-P-X+_**

…_Stephy825, thanks, and I did guess it was you…this has taken way too long to update, but I've said that for all my other stories already. _

_As for the changing styles to separate people, I do that so that I can have multiple people talking at once, so a person doesn't get confused as to who said what, once you know who speaks with what… "voice." That's another thing; the styles I use identify a personality to that person. You can imagine Shade having some weight behind his voice, and "Leaf" being a bit piercing. ~Finalage._

**_+-NB-+_**

**_Chapter Four: Starting Lines._**

**_+-NB-+_**

Penumbra rested his head against the wall of the Poke' Mart, his hand shielding his eyes as he sat, looking the picture of dejection, of exhaustion. Yet, it wasn't exhaustion he felt, it was simply the way he sat, completely loose, almost boneless, like a fillet.

In his head, there was nothing, literally, his mind was blank as he stared up at a cloudless, fruitful sky. Today was a day that made the average trainer… feel that they could do _anything_. To Penumbra, it reminded him of _his_ first day, setting out.

He had nearly walked headlong into a tree, crashed through some brush and barely managed to save Professor Birch from a wild Pokémon...

He had managed, but that was beside the point. The point was that a beautiful day shouldn't be taken advantage of. Just like any other day, it had the potential to turn ugly, just with a simple flick of the switch. With such an outlook on life, "Shade" realized he was really depressing to be around, a real and true pessimist, but that was what had kept him alive all this time…

Midnight, seeking attention crawled up from the boy's blind side, popping up right into his vision quickly, covering the sky with the sudden appearance of gold. To any other person, a scream, or a shriek, some kind of reaction, anything was expected. Shade just continued to stare, his eyes empty. It was times like this that the Pokémon wasn't sure his trainer was awake or not. Not physically, mentally, though there were the times when the Swampert swore his trainer slept with his eyes open.

The Pokémon continued to watch the boy just sit there, staring without focus at Midnight's head fins, not really seeing them. He was thinking back…to times when he was more carefree, most likely. Times when he knew little and repeated the same analysis in his head over and over, unable to realize he was repeating himself.

Penumbra rolled away from his Pokémon, pulling a pokéball from his belt. Two actually…he massaged them in his hands, letting his head hit the grass, a clear view to the sky. One of them was purple, two strokes of pink gracing its upper dome. The other one had a black dome with red fins over the classic white. A Master Ball…and a Timer Ball.

Midnight fixed his eyes on those two orbs. Inside those were Pokémon too, but Pokémon that "Swamp" did not want to talk about. Not much. He only let them out in private, in the midst of forests, deep and remote, or high on top of mountains. These two were beasts that had grown to love the boy like all his other Pokémon, but whom he knew could not stay with him.

They were old, impossibly old. Old and powerful. Both of them had refused to let Swamp be, when he had stumbled upon them…one had been in a fit of rage, attacking the first thing they saw after being awoken from a deep slumber…the other, awoken because of turmoil cased from the prior, was like a snake in the grass, hungry after the long years…

Now, they held a strong bond with their trainer, even if that trainer knew he shouldn't keep them. They were "Forces of Nature" and forces of nature should not be kept down and held by a trainer…only ill could come from a trainer who did that…

Yet they still stayed, stubborn. Fate, that's what they claimed. He had caught them by fate…

But now, the Pokémon knew that his trainer wasn't just staring out into space empty headed…he had drawn into himself recently, and the only time that happened was when another one of…them…was around.

Meant to be wild, forces of nature…but when they are awoken…a dark cloud gathers…

How long would his trainer be there to stop it?

**_+-1-+_**

"_Finally…we're out of the forest! Where are we anyway?"_

The city that they came to was huge, a lot bigger than they expected at least…Green glanced at the map again, confirming that the city they should have met should have been a lot smaller…a sign told them they were in Pewter City…which was…on another side of the map along the route from Viridian City and forest…wait a second…

RED! You have the map sideways!

Well, at least there was only one way to go from the beginning anyway, so it was impossible to get lost…or was it…? What if that Shade guy was waiting for them in a completely different city?.!

Little did they know that "Shade" was watching them absently right at that moment from the PokéCenter, and he saw as Red received a beat-down from his companions. Midnight watched the spectacle too, wondering when his trainer would intervene…but from the way his eyes were lidded, it didn't look like any time soon.

Shade surprised Midnight by falling asleep right then and there…

**_+-~Later…_**

"Maybe he really was just yanking us around…"

Red walked a bit in front of the group, rubbing a sore spot in his cheek from the ambush Yellow and Green had put on him. His eyes scanned the streets as Green walked behind him, only tossing around a few glances at stuff on sale or people walking by…and teasing Yellow, who was holding the coat she had been given and looking around like Red was.

"Find your boyfriend yet, Yellow? Aww, come on, we just have to look a little harder…"

Giving her a pleading look, Yellow didn't say anything. Did she have to rub things in her face all the time…wait a second, was that a gleam of silver…wait, there he was! He was…

Sleeping.

The three of them crowded around the sight when they got there. A huge, hulking blue beast, curled up like a cat next to a thin silver haired boy, who was leaning against the PokéCenter; his eyes closed and arms in his lap, holding a breathing ball of beige and brown fur. On his left, a black, robin chested-like Pokémon had its head tucked in its wing and back feathers, lightly moving up and down while it breathed. Finally, the sole awake member of the party, Nirva, had her tails acting like a blanket, hovering, but not touching; her trainer. She observed the three watchers as they observed her and company, but the fox seemed to radiate warning.

Red's shoe shifted, and a twig cracked underfoot. Shade's eyes shot open and his body tensed, but he did not move, only let his eyes rove until they locked on the trio watching him. He half-smiled and instinctively felt his pants for his trainer card. Still there.

"My fault. I fell asleep while waiting, how irresponsible of me. Well, looks like you made it here in one piece…more or less. Nirva, Shadow…it time to go back in…damn-it, looks like a mass sleep spell caught me and co."

He had glanced at Red while he said this, and the boy could only look sheepishly at him for that. Shade's hands flew to his belt and in-between his fingers, two minimized Pokéballs appeared. He activated them before throwing them behind him and snagging his two friends in red light. It seems that once Shade had woken up, Nirva had decided to let her head dip a bit too, job done.

"Well, since you all managed to find, me, and this "test" was my idea, how about I treat you all to…lunch I think, that's the right word for this time of day, yeah?"

Red instantly perked up, but Shade took no notice, dusting himself off. Well, he'd be paying attention to the bill later on for sure…

_**+-~Night…**_

So, the piece finally comes to a close. Shadows, dancing in the darkness, they flit across the bowels of fate, and thus the world. Shade watched the darkness from the window of a lodging center; Pokémon Centers large enough to house rooms; contemplating. His mind went through thousands of memories, tracing the lines of his travels, trying to find where he went wrong…why it had ended up this way.

He had not been wrong to save the professor…

He had not been wrong to chase the Pokémon thieves…

Had he been wrong to try and clear the pass and stop Team Rocket?

Had he been wrong to give chase and stop them from using a meteorite to cool a volcano?

Perhaps he had been wrong to chase them further when they wanted to build a base near the sea…

Perhaps he had been wrong to chase them out and over the sea to stop them drilling island resources.

But was he wrong to stop them from trying to awaken Kyogre?

Yes, he was wrong to catch him instead of defeating him and letting him return to a slumber…

…Yes, he was wrong to travel and study the origins of the Regi, yes, he was wrong to awaken them.

… …Wrong of him to capture them too, regardless of whatever loneliness he felt from them.

… … …He was also wrong to resurrect the Pokémon Anorith, right?

But did those things warrant the death of his mother? The betrayal of his father?

Did his actions justify the betrayal of his friends?

Shade would have continued on his mental tirade downwards, a daily occurrence for him by now, if it were not for the appearance of Yellow, who looked around his room after pushing open his door by mistake/on purpose.

Really, she hadn't expected it to be _**open**_…she had just tried to knock…really. She still had his coat with her, and he realized that she might have been trying to, you know, give it to him all this time? Maybe? Kind of?

**_+-~E~-+_**

_This chapter is…well, I don't want to curse, but it's bad. I'm not used to doing Pokémon anymore. I need to get back into the mood, and study it a lot more once more. Ha ha. Nothing in my head works right now. I try, but everything turns out to be trash. So I posted this to put this back into the scope, but I don't know when I'll get something going again. Hmm…next chapter will have some real substance, I promise that._

_~Finalage._


End file.
